The present invention relates generally to facilitating the preparation of a lightweight boat for use, and more particularly to the attaching, and detaching of wheel means to the boat with minimal effort in which, more particularly, the vehicle used to transport the boat to a site of use contributes to the minimal effort in the attachment and detachment of the wheel means.
The off loading of a skiff or lightweight boat from the roof top or interior of a van, the vehicle of choice for this transporting chore, typically further requires movement of the boat, which typically is 300 pounds, from a parking lot or like area adjacent a lake or similar body of water, into which it is desired to place the boat preparatory to the use thereof. The referred to further movement, although usually within a walking distance, is understandably greatly facilitated by a temporary attachment of wheel means to the boat transom and wheeling the boat, much like a wheel barrow, to the lake for launching. Exemplary wheel means already known used for the purposes noted are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,203 for xe2x80x9cRetractable Wheel Strut Assemblyxe2x80x9d issued to Milan B. Anderson on May 13, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,281 for xe2x80x9cBoat Rollerxe2x80x9d issued to Roy A. Ferguson on Nov. 28, 1978 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,211 for xe2x80x9cLightweight Boat Moving Devicexe2x80x9d issued to Sebastian R. Bustamente on Aug. 27, 1974. While in the referenced and all other known prior patents describing and illustrating wheel means for the walking distance xe2x80x9ctransport of boats, the proposed wheel means achieves moving the boat like a wheel barrow, the attachment and detachment of the wheels is somewhat complicated, in that it requires at the least supporting the boat transom in a raised condition during wheel means attachment, and a difficult detaching procedure after the boat is launched when, of course, the wheel means if not removed would adversely effect the performance of the boat.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to prepare a lightweight boat for boating service overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
More specifically, it is an object to provide wheel means that are readily attachable to and detachable from the boat transom using to advantage the transporting of the boat on a vehicle providing a working clearance or open space below the boat transom, in which open space the wheel means is properly positioned to be attached to the boat transom, and thus obviating the need to lift the boat transom to obtain this open space for the wheel means attaching procedure, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds.
The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.